Pekin man in serious condition after house fire

A Pekin man is in serious condition from burns and smoke inhalation suffered in a Saturday afternoon fire.Pekin Fire Chief Kurt Nelson said firefighters were called at 4:35 p.m. to 7 Haylake Drive, where they found the back of the home engulfed in flames. The back of the home, which is situated in Country Club Estates...

A Pekin man is in serious condition from burns and smoke inhalation suffered in a Saturday afternoon fire.

Pekin Fire Chief Kurt Nelson said firefighters were called at 4:35 p.m. to 7 Haylake Drive, where they found the back of the home engulfed in flames. The back of the home, which is situated in Country Club Estates in rural Pekin, is two stories and the front of the home is one story.

Firefighters battled the blaze for 2 1/2 hours before bringing it under control. They cleared the scene at 11 p.m. Saturday night.

Firefighters found the man lying in the driveway of the home with burns to his face and hands. He was taken to OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria; he was later transferred to a Springfield burn unit. Nelson did not have the name of the injured individual. He said anytime that facial burns are involved a patient is considered to be in serious condition because of the possibility of respiratory damage.

Nelson said the department has not yet determined the cause of the fire. The Illinois State Fire Marshal examined the exterior of the home Saturday night, but Nelson said the structural integrity of the home has been compromised and investigators are waiting until the weight of the water used to fight the fire has subsided before entering.

The home is occupied by four people. Nelson said all of the other residents are accounted for, and it is not known if they were home when the fire started. Damage is estimated at $150,000 to $200,000, said Nelson.

It is unknown at this time where the blaze started. Nelson said that an examination of the wood in the burned areas will tell the story, because the burns to the wood will be deepest in the area where the fire started.

Nelson said with what little information his department has been able to get, “I’ll just say that not everything is adding up. We will continue the investigation.”

The fire is under investigation by the Pekin Fire Department, the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Fire Marshal’s office.

Investigators will enter the home today to continue the investigation, said Nelson.